


hurry me down to Death and His embrace

by juurensha



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fraternity, Childhood Friends, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Gyms, Hot Topic, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Shopping Malls, Tons of random Greek Mythology references, Tsundere Thanatos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27457318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juurensha/pseuds/juurensha
Summary: To Zagreus’ dismay (although not surprise), the brainstorming session was not going well.To be fair to his fellow frat brothers, they had barely any idea how to woo someone completely unaffiliated with Greek life, much less Thanatos, Zagreus’ childhood best friend and triple English literature, philosophy, and history major who had recently transferred to their university and absolutely hated Zagreus’ guts for running off to such a faraway university and leaving him behind.
Relationships: Achilles & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Achilles/Patroclus, Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus (Hades Video Game), Hypnos & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 491





	hurry me down to Death and His embrace

**Author's Note:**

> So this should be blamed on bittermoons (who was also lovely enough to beta the piece) and the chilliad, in that she was like, oh a frat AU for Hades would be awesome, and then I got a bit....carried away. Achilles and Patroclus are a bit more Song of Achilles and less their Hades' personalities here because they're young and not full of angst and heartbreak, and I hope you'll enjoy!

To Zagreus’ dismay (although not surprise), the brainstorming session was not going well.

To be fair to his fellow frat brothers, they had barely any idea how to woo someone completely unaffiliated with Greek life, much less Thanatos, Zagreus’ childhood best friend and triple English literature, philosophy, and history major who had recently transferred to their university and absolutely hated Zagreus’ guts for running off to such a faraway university and leaving him behind.

“Beat him at beer pong,” Odysseus advises.

“That only worked for you because Penelope is the beer pong queen,” Nestor interjects.

Zagreus shakes his head. “Wouldn’t work either way because Than hates beer.”

“Zag man, what if we threw a giant party just for him?” Dionysus suggests. “If he hates beer, I have connections at that fancy liquor store…”

“Thanks, Coz, but Than doesn’t like giant parties very much,” Zagreus says tactfully.

(Thanatos had showed up at a grand total of one frat party Zagreus had invited him to and had a pinched expression of someone suffering through a dental appointment the entire time.

He’s pretty sure the only reason Thanatos had even showed up was to examine the surroundings and make sure that Zagreus was doing alright, because even if Thanatos is livid at him, he’s still a softy at heart.)

“I’d tell you how I wooed Asterius, but it wouldn’t work for you anyway, puny pledge!” Theseus loudly declares.

Zagreus frowns (most of his fraternity brothers are great, but there’s some of them that kind of tick him off). “First off, not a pledge anymore. Second, Asterius could do so much better. Third—man, even if you told me, I wouldn’t listen to you anyway.”

“What about cooking him something?” Hector intervenes before Theseus can work his way up to a whole snit. “What’s Thanatos’ favorite dish?”

“Dolmades,” Zagreus replies immediately. “But, like, I can’t even cook scrambled eggs, much less dolmades—and do you know how finicky it is to stuff those grape leaves?”

“Oh right Hector, you weren’t here when he nearly burned down the house by trying to bake cookies,” Sarpedon comments, scratching his chin.

(In Zagreus’ defense, the YouTube tutorial had looked straightforward and easy, and Dusa had been the one to recommend it to him, so he thought it would be fine.

He probably shouldn’t have been also attempting to kick Ajax’s ass at Mario Kart at the same time though…)

Jason opens his mouth. “I think—”

“No one wants to hear what you have to say, Jason,” Nestor says severely, glaring at him. “People who cheated on their  _ fiancée who is pregnant with twins  _ and then had said fiancée nearly also burn the house down don’t get a voice in matchmaking brainstorming sessions.”

“Okay, okay, okay, leaving aside anything that could potentially burn down the house—and I am  _ very  _ disappointed in you again, Jason, you are on very thin ice right now—how about a horse-riding date? Or a horse-drawn carriage? Very romantic,” Hector suggests.

“But how do I get Than to  _ agree _ to go with me on either of those dates?” Zagreus asks piteously.

Patroclus clears his throat. “I keep saying you could just go the route of open communication and just confess to him.”

“I can’t do that—Than will just give me the neutral face of displeasure and vanish,” Zagreus complains, wrapping his arms around his knees.

(Most conversations with Thanatos since the older boy transferred to the university have ended with Than just striding away after getting the last bitter word in.

Zagreus always tries to catch up with him, but Than is an  _ expert  _ at vanishing when he wants to—it’s an amazing skill that Zagreus can’t copy no matter how much he tries.)

Achilles snaps his fingers, “Show him your abs.”

“Than has seen my abs, and all that happens is that he gets a frozen expression and then runs away,” Zagreus says mournfully.

“That’s progress, kid!” Achilles says encouragingly. “Here’s the next step: you guys go to the gym together, and then you make sure you do all your lifts, weights, stretches, planks, and squats right in front of him. That worked on Pat.”

“I already had a crush on you before that, you didn’t even have to do that,” Patroclus rolls his eyes while knocking his shoulder against Achilles’. “Also, I would advise against that plan—I nearly dropped a weight on my foot watching you.”

“Aw, sorry babe,” Achilles says apologetically, leaning up to drop a kiss on Patroclus’ head.

Zagreus beams at them (Achilles and Patroclus are his #realtionshipgoals) as his phone vibrates and he glances back down.

Meg: Are you serious Zagreus.

Meg: No, Thanatos doesn’t hate you.

Meg: He’s pissed off at you, but he did pack up all his books and Hot Topic outfits to move all the way across the country to go to the same university as you.

(That was true—that’s not something someone would do if they  _ completely  _ hated you, right?

Like, obviously it wasn’t the same as returning an apparently long-held crush that Zagreus himself had only realized he had been holding after he moved across the country and  _ desperately  _ missed the older boy, but—it was a start, right?

If only there was someplace that Thanatos could definitely be drawn to and cornered in that wasn’t a giant space with tons of hiding places like libraries or bookstores—

Wait, of course he knew a place like that.)

“I’ve thought of a place he’ll agree to meet me at!” Zagreus says, looking up from his phone.

“Great, kid!” Achilles says, patting him on the back. “Where are you guys meeting?”

Zagreus beams at all assembled, “Hot Topic of course!”

\--

“We’re too old for this, Zagreus,” Thanatos sighs, looking around the confines of Hot Topic.

“You’re never too old for Hot Topic, Than, that’s ageist talk,” Zagreus argues cheerfully, looking through the hoodies.

“It’s not ageist to not want to wear some of these T-shirts,” Thanatos says, wrinkling his nose as he looks at the wall. “…what even is this Rick and Morty thing…”

“You’re never too old for Nightmare Before Christmas though,” Zagreus says, pulling out a black hoodie that has  _ All Hail the Pumpkin King  _ printed on the front and draping it across Thanatos’ broad shoulders. “Look, isn’t this cool—the hood drapes so it looks more like a cowl!”

Thanatos frowns slightly, but he doesn’t move away from Zagreus, his face tense as he looks at him and then glances at the mirror, “…I guess it does look cool.”

“You look awesome! Not that you don’t usually look awesome,” Zagreus quickly adds, scratching the back of his head. 

Thanatos blinks, his face taking on the frozen expression it usually does when Zagreus compliments him, before he slips off the hoodie and says stiffly. “…I’ll buy it then. Anyway—how did your philosophy essay go in the end?”

“Not too bad, managed to get a B,” Zagreus says happily, digging through a bin of different studded wristlets. “All thanks to your help though—there’s no way I could have gotten through that Kant piece on my own. Is it a translation issue?”

“Believe it or not, the original German is worse,” Thanatos quips, his face softening a bit as it always does when he talks about things he’s read. “Personally, I would not have assigned even an excerpt of his for an intro philosophy course—but I am not a professor after all.”

“Not a professor  _ yet _ ,” Zagreus points out proudly. “You’ll be walking around with three PhDs at some point and being known as the most intimidating prof on campus.”

(Both intimidatingly smart  _ and  _ hot, because the only thing that rivals Thanatos’ sheer intellect and work drive is his Olympian level looks.

Which, yeah, again might tie back to his work drive because Thanatos never misses his morning jog or evening workout either, but even when they were kids, Zagreus had thought Thanatos was breathtaking.

That dark skin with that pale hair and gold eyes—

He really wants to slap himself that he didn’t figure out he was bisexual sooner and attempt to make a move before moving all the way across the country and suddenly realizing what he had left behind.

Although—he’s not all that sure his chances would have been better back then either.)

Thanatos’ mouth quirks slightly upwards. “Well—that’s not saying much for this campus.”

“Easy for you to say, all your professors are terrified of you,” Zagreus complains good-naturedly, trying on a few of the wristlets. “Me on the other hand—well, you did not see Professor Hypatia’s face when I fell asleep and snored in the middle of her lecture. If looks could kill, you would not see me here today.”

Thanatos’ brow furrows. “Professor Hypatia—is your calc class going okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, Patroclus is helping me out,” Zagreus waves his hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t get stuck having to grovel through Skype with Meg to help me out.”

“Do you remember that time you convinced us to go to an anime convention with you right before finals, and then that Sunday night we spent basically burying you with flashcards?” Thanatos asks, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Zagreus laughs. “Oh my god, yeah—you were cosplaying as Death, and every time I messed up one of your questions, you’d wave your scythe over at me.”

Thanatos has a full-on tiny smile on his face now. “Yes—and you had to bribe Meg with what looked like a suitcase of Pocky and enough skull rings to bedeck a skeleton army for her to even quiz you.”

“I basically spent my entire allowance on skull rings and Pocky that weekend. I wish Meg was here with us,” Zagreus says wistfully, eyeing a skull ring. “She’d definitely enjoy some of this stuff.”

Thanatos stiffens and then says quietly, “She could be, if you hadn’t left.”

(Oh, way to go Zagreus, just bring the entire mood back down again.

But on the other hand—maybe they really should talk through that issue?

Like, Patroclus’ advice is probably good here, besides the confession part, because at the very least, Zagreus knows Than will listen to and absorb what he tells him.

With the confession part—

Well, if high school was any indication, Than reacts to love confessions with a pinched expression and an agreement to never talk about it again.)

“…Than—I—you know I couldn’t stay, right? I couldn’t just go to my  _ dad’s  _ school like you—I needed to get away.”

“That would have been nice to know sometime  _ before  _ you got accepted to a school all the way across the country and  _ then _ told me,” Thanatos says in a clipped tone, walking over to the cash register.

Zagreus quickly grabs his arm before he can go too far (Than is  _ slippery  _ when he wants to get away). “Than—I’m sorry, alright? I definitely should have told you earlier, I just—I just didn’t think about it—you know what I’m like, I don’t always think things through all the way…”

“I know,” Thanatos says quietly as Zagreus trails off. “I always knew that you would end up leaving—you were always so restless, so—but I hoped it would be later, and—I thought I was important enough to you to at least warrant some notice before you decided the best route forward was to  _ leave _ .”

(Than thinks he isn’t  _ important  _ to him?

God, that wasn’t the case at all—

When Zagreus had first finally realized that leaving would also mean leaving Thanatos behind, part of him had curled up and whimpered.)

“You  _ are  _ important to me!” Zagreus says loudly, heedless of the way the cashier is staring at them. “I was  _ so happy  _ when you started texting me again—and you can ask everyone else at the frat how excited I was when you transferred over, I’m pretty sure I scared Orpheus with how hard I was screaming. I really—out of everything about home, you’re the one I missed the most.”

Thanatos blinks, looking slightly taken aback. “Oh. I—I thought that would be Meg. Or perhaps Cerberus.”

“I do miss them both a lot,” Zagreus says thoughtfully, “But—you’re the one who has always had my back, and it—it was weird not having you around, you know?”

(The time when Thanatos wasn’t even replying to his texts had been the worst month of Zagreus’ life.

Like, not even the days-delayed one word responses Zagreus was used to getting whenever Than got especially busy, but just complete and utter  _ nothing. _

Even Asterius had asked him if he had been feeling alright back then.)

“…well, I’m here now,” Thanatos says steadily, his face relaxing just a bit as he hands his card to the wide-eyed cashier.

“Yeah, you are,” Zagreus affirms, his face breaking out into a wide grin.

(And isn’t that Than in the end?

He might talk as if he hates everything besides books and working out, but Zagreus has learned that it’s more illuminating to look at what Than does rather than what he says.

And what he had done was move all the way here right after Zagreus had complained that his professors hated his essays so—

That was definitely something.)

“Let’s get this on you, then,” Zagreus beams as the cashier hands over the hoodie in a bag.

“It still has the tags on it,” Thanatos argues as Zagreus takes the hoodie out of the bag and reaches to unzip the black and gold Adidas hoodie Thanatos currently has on.

“If we just rip off the tags, it’ll be fine,” Zagreus argues, managing to unzip Thanatos’ hoodie despite Thanatos trying to bat him away, “And—”

He stops as he sees a purple, turquoise, and gold butterfly pin neatly pinned in the inside of the left flap of Thanatos’ hoodie.

It’s identical to the butterfly pin that had appeared in a small black box on top of all his luggage the day he had moved out and that he had thought his mom or Nyx had gifted him.

(They had both denied it, but Zagreus had been stumped about who else would gift him something so nice.

He had ended up pinning it right in the center of his jacket full of pins because it was extremely pretty no matter where it came from and deserved to be shown off.

And now it turns out—Thanatos had been the one to give it?

And it was part of a set?

That—that also had to mean something, right?

Like—Meg had given him one of a pair of skull earrings when they were going out—

And why had Than pinned it to the inside of his hoodie, right over his heart—)

Thanatos yanks himself back, his face stormy as he zips up his hoodie and grabs the Pumpkin King hoodie back from Zagreus’ slack hands. “I have papers to finish,” he says stiffly.

“No, wait!” Zagreus says, quickly grabbing Thanatos by the arm again. “You— _ you _ were the one who gave that butterfly pin to me?”

Thanatos blinks. “Obviously.”

“Not that obviously—you didn’t even want to leave a note?” Zagreus asks indignantly.

“I did leave a note—it was originally supposed to be your birthday present, so I left a birthday card with it,” Thanatos says through clenched teeth.

Zagreus frowns, “I don’t remember seeing a card—wait, was it red?”

Thanatos looks somewhat bewildered, “…yes, I believe it was.”

“Oh my god—Cerberus was being weird and collecting all the red things around the house back then—maybe he picked it up?”

“Your dog ate my card?” Thanatos asks, his voice as dry as the Sahara.

“Hey, you know Cerberus is the best dog ever but—well he was pretty upset that I was leaving, and I guess red things remind me of him?” Zagreus shrugs helplessly. “I—wait, is that why you never replied to my texts for like a month?”

“…I may have misunderstood the situation,” Thanatos says stiffly.

Zagreus scratches the back of his neck, “I mean, I get it—I must have seemed like a real shithead. But—but I’m really glad you still started talking to me again. And thank you so much for the pin! It’s really pretty—I stuck it right in the middle of my pin jacket!”

Thanatos shifts in place a bit, giving Zagreus a sideways glance. “Oh, I—haven’t seen you wear that jacket recently.”

“Not the right weather yet. Sun’s still out, so guns still out, right?” Zagreus comments with a grin, flexing just a tiny bit in his muscle-tee.

Thanatos’ eyes flicker down then back up at Zagreus’ face, “Ah. Well, that’s good then. ….I’m glad you like it.”

Zagreus beams then remembers something. “Although, hey, why did you pin yours on the inside of your hoodie?”

“I like wearing it that way,” Thanatos replies, completely poker-faced as they walk out of the store.

(On the one hand, that sounds like total bullshit.

On the other, if he calls Than out, they won’t even make it to the food court before Than pulls a vanishing act.

That’s fine, he can be content with the fact that Than apparently gifted him one half of a matching butterfly pin set and then was wearing one of them close to his heart.)

“Alright,” he says agreeably before tugging him closer to the food court. “Can those papers wait long enough for us to grab some food together?”

“You haven’t just been eating fast food this entire time, have you?” Thanatos asks, his brow furrowed as they line up for burgers and fries.

“Please, even if I wanted to, Hector makes us all have one day a week where we help Andromache with her healthy food experiments,” Zagreus says with a wave of his hand, making sure to order a malted milkshake for Thanatos. “They’re not bad, really—I really want to try her shrimp salad again?”

“Hm,” Thanatos hums in an interested tone, and Zagreus makes a note to save some for him next time Andromache makes any.

“Did you finally end up finding a professor who can serve as your thesis advisor?” Zagreus asks as they grab their order and find a table to sit down at.

Thanatos sighs, taking a sip of his malted milkshake. “Professor Hesiod will work for my Ancient Greek history thesis, and Professor Radcliffe will be suitable for my Gothic fiction thesis, but I still haven’t found a philosophy professor I respect yet.”

“Yeah, pretty high bar to clear,” Zagreus acknowledges, taking a bite of his burger. “But everything else—you’re adjusting okay?”

Thanatos screws up his face a bit. “It’s too sunny,” he says after a long pause. “The people are too friendly, the library doesn’t hold the quiet rules or the no-food rules as strictly as they should, and I still haven’t found a gym I like.”

(Well, that’s fair.

Thanatos had fit in pretty well in Zagreus’ father’s university, and he does feel kind of bad that Thanatos gave that all up.

Does he sometimes regret it?)

“Then why are you here?” he can’t help but ask.

“…because you said you needed help,” Thanatos replies simply, looking away. 

(Oh.

That was so—

That really felt like a pretty grand romantic gesture from one of those romance novels that Than claims to not read.

Zagreus certainly feels like he could pull off a swoon.

Better not though—they’re in public, and they’re probably already rapidly reaching the limits of how emotional a conversation Thanatos wants to have in a day.)

“You’re the best, Than,” Zagreus beams at him, his heart swelling and singing. “Really—I’m so glad you’re here.”

Thanatos returns a small smile back at him (okay, swooning is  _ definitely  _ on the agenda now), before returning to eating his food. “Not everything is terrible,” he acknowledges. “Some of the professors are decent, and it seems some of your new friends are alright.”

“If you want a gym recommendation, and you can bear to swap around your morning run for a gym session in the morning instead, Achilles is an instructor at the Myrmidon Gym, and he’s really good?” Zagreus suggests hopefully. “I think you’d like it—it’s like a combination of CrossFit, barre, and Ninja, and I’ve really enjoyed going there.”

Thanatos blinks then nods slowly, “I could give it a try. Would Friday morning be alright?”

“Friday morning sounds fantastic!” Zagreus enthuses with a grin. “I’ll be sure to let Achilles know!”

And later when he does, Achilles grins and pats him on the back. “Great job kid! I’ll be sure to come up with a routine that guarantees you the opportunity to show off as much as you like!”

“While also properly exercising all your muscle groups,” Patroclus adds.

“That too,” Achilles nods with a smile at Patroclus.

“…do you think it’ll work?” Zagreus asks nervously.

“Kid, it’ll be alright,” Achilles says kindly, slinging an arm over Zagreus’ shoulders. “Even if apparently Patroclus here already had feelings for me before I started showing off for him, I’m sure it didn’t hurt.”

“I’ll say,” Phoenix mutters, strolling into the kitchen and rolling his eyes. “Patroclus wasn’t even going to  _ rush  _ before he met you at that gym.”

Achilles’ eyes widen as his arm slips off Zagreus’ shoulders and he stares at Patroclus. “Wait, Pat— _ really?  _ But you said that Alpha Epsilon Alpha’s charity work really appealed to you—”

Patroclus’ dark cheeks are turning ruddy as he coughs and glares at Phoenix, “Well—I mean—the frat’s charity work  _ did  _ appeal to me—I just—I never thought about joining a frat before meeting you, I guess…”

“Babe, that is so hot,” Achilles breathes, draping his arms around Patroclus’ neck. “You were my bisexual awakening, and I was your Greek life awakening—”

“Don’t try to break the ‘no fucking in the kitchen’ rule again, or I swear, I will rat you guys out to Hector, and you guys can deal with his disappointed dad lecture,” Phoenix says blandly, shaking his protein shake.

Achilles half-heartedly flips off Phoenix before pulling Patroclus by his hand, “Upstairs.”

“So—what do you think of my chances, Phoenix?” Zagreus asks, turning to the older boy as Patroclus picks Achilles up by the waist and starts carrying him upstairs.

“You’re trying to attract that triple-major goth jock, right?” Phoenix confirms, taking a drag of his protein shake. “I mean, personally I think trying to woo someone through workouts is dumb, but that guy transferred to the school just for you. He’s probably as far gone on you as Patroclus was on Achilles, so it’ll probably be fine.”

(Phoenix was super smart, right?

Like, he was probably the third smartest person in the frat, after Odysseus and Nestor, minus Odysseus’ scheming and Nestor’s advice that sometimes led to disasters.

So it would probably be okay?)

“It’ll be great!” he tells himself firmly. “Than will definitely show up and be super impressed!”

“That’s the spirit, kid,” Phoenix nods, toasting him with the protein shake.

\--

Thanatos does indeed show up bright and early, Friday morning, but he doesn’t come alone.

“Hey Zagreus!” Hypnos greets him cheerfully then yawns. “Wow, you guys get up really early to work out…”

“Hey, Hypnos!” Zagreus greets him, glancing between him and an impassive Thanatos. “I didn’t realize you were visiting…”

“Neither did I, because he forgot to inform me that he wanted to tour the campus before Charon showed up and left him on my doorstep,” Thanatos says, glaring at Hypnos.

“I wanted to surprise you!” Hypnos says cheerfully, unbothered by Thanatos’ expression. “And Charon had business up here anyway, so it was too good to pass up!”

Thanatos sighs and gives Zagreus an apologetic look, “I’m so sorry about this—I told him he could just sleep in, but he insisted on tagging along.”

“I wanted to see what the gym looked like here,” Hypnos says blithely, glancing around. “Oooh shiny—and those weights look really heavy!”

(While Zagerus is happy to see Hypnos again since they are friends, he can’t help but feel a little annoyed at the younger boy butting into what was supposed to be a time for trying to get Than’s sole attention.

Hypnos doesn’t even  _ like  _ exercising!

The few times they had had P.E. together, Hypnos would just slowly walk laps around the track and cheerfully chat with him every time Zagreus lapped him!

What was he even  _ doing _ here?

Still, that’s unfair of him. Hypnos already didn’t get to see Thanatos all that much, so he probably just wanted to spend some more time with his big brother.

Besides, knowing Hypnos, he’d get tired and take a nap in like five minutes.)

“Uh, well—it’s fine,” Zagreus says, glancing over at Achilles. “I’m sure Achilles can take care of him too.”

Achilles is mostly unphased by another person joining in, although after glancing at Hypnos’ noodle arms, he goes to help Hypnos with a modified, easier version of a pushup while the rest of them do pushups and planks.

It’s a testament to Achilles’ patience and skill as an instructor that Hypnos actually manages to last 15 minutes into the workout before he slumps to the ground and crawls towards the wall with a half-hearted wave.

“Okay, I’m done, I’m taking a nap, guys,” he says, closing his eyes.

Thanatos grimaced (which he hadn’t done throughout any of the burpees because Than was just a beast like that) and glanced at Achilles, “Seriously—I’m sorry he’s wasting your time…”

“It’s no problem, everyone has their own pace and needs to listen to what their body is telling them to do,” Achilles says with a shrug. “This is an advanced class, after all—if he’s interested at all later, we do have less intense offerings.”

“I wouldn’t mind some yoga!” Hypnos calls out, not opening his eyes.

“Dude, yoga would kick your ass,” Zagreus points out, remembering with a shudder Andromache’s class. “Stick to maybe jogging with your brother first.”

“Jogging is the  _ worst _ ,” Hypnos complains sleepily before seemingly dozing off again.

The workout continues even with Hypnos’ slight interruption, and Achilles really comes through, letting Zagreus do a ton of lunges, deadlifts, and stretches that show off his arms and his legs to what Zagreus thinks should be a full, if sweaty, advantage.

Of course, Thanatos is doing the exact same moves the entire time, and when he stretches over the bar, his muscular back a perfect curve over his well-defined legs—

Zagreus doesn’t whimper, but it’s a pretty near thing, and Patroclus is a true fraternity brother who takes it upon himself to grunt loudly every time Zagreus just stands there in a daze watching Thanatos do sit-ups as though he’s just taking a stroll.

(It’s almost unfair how Than is both super smart  _ and  _ super fit.

He doesn’t really get why Than doesn’t have admirers just looping around the block.)

He doesn’t actually notice any changes in Thanatos’ expression, but he  _ thinks  _ Thanatos takes about a second longer than he should to start drinking his water when Zagreus lifts up his shirt to towel himself off a bit, so—probably a good sign?

“Eugh, now you’re both all sweaty and smelly,” Hypnos complains, having woken up once the workout ended and Thanatos wandered off to talk to Achilles about something.

“That’s what happens during a workout,” Zagreus points out, bemused, “Why did you even really want to come to a gym anyway?”

“I wanted to see if Thanatos made any progress with you,” Hypnos sighs. “Sadly—but predictably, it doesn’t seem to be the case.”

(…what.

_ What? _ )

“What—what progress?” Zagreus asks eagerly.

“Exactly,” Hypnos nods solemnly, “There’s been none at all! I thought since you know he moved all the way across the country for you, he would have at least  _ said  _ something to you by now, but you guys are acting the same as ever, so even that doesn’t seem to be the case. And I was even going to ask you to put in a few good words about me to him so he’d get off my back about college apps…”

(Said something, so—

So that really sounds as though maybe Than has some not-so-platonic feelings he maybe would like to divulge???)

“Hypnos, are you saying that—are you saying Than wants to—confess to me or something?” Zagreus asks weakly, lowering his voice and glancing over again to make sure Thanatos is still nodding solemnly at some lunge Achilles is demonstrating.

Hypnos blinks at him, “I mean, I guess? I don’t know all his plans—you know Thanatos is allergic to talking about feelings. Last time I asked him about you, he called Charon to try and get him to come pick me up. Were you expecting, like, a big romantic gesture before that or something? I wouldn’t count on that, my brother is having a hard enough time as it is…”

“No, I—I didn’t expect anything—Than  _ likes  _ me?” Zagreus demands.

Hypnos’ eyes widen. “Wow, are you telling me you really didn’t know? I thought you were just waiting for Thanatos to actually say something!”

“Not so loud!” Zagreus hisses, “I—no Hypnos, I didn’t know! And does that sound like me anyway—patiently waiting?”

Hypnos shrugs, “I mean no, but I thought you might for Thanatos after all. He’s your favorite.”

(…was that possible what Thanatos  _ wanted _ ?

Some patience from him?

Then—was this entire showing off for Than at the gym a bad idea…)

“What’s going on? Did you sprain something?” Thanatos demands, striding over to them, a pinched expression on his face.

Zagreus shoots up to his feet, “No! I’m fine, I’m fine, just—just talking to Hypnos about his college apps!”

Thanatos’ brow smoothes as he looks between the two of them, “Oh good, maybe you can convince him to actually start writing his essay then. Or to apply to more than one school.”

Hypnos yawns, “There’s not much of a point is there? As long as I apply to Mother’s school, I’ll definitely get in, and I don’t have to pay a thing.  _ I  _ don’t have to move halfway across the country for some big gesture—”

“Hypnos,” Thanatos grinds out, glaring at his brother. “I think it’s nearly time for Charon to pick you up, isn’t it?”

Hypnos flails and grabs Thanatos’ arm. “No, come on, Thanatos! I haven’t even been here a whole day—and I haven’t seen you in like two months! Plus, you know Charon’s conference won’t be done until at least Monday.”

“Well, we don’t want to bother Charon when he’s off making money, you know what he’s like,” Zagreus steps in (he definitely owes Hypnos for at least clueing him in). “So—what do you think, Than? You found your gym?”

“I see why you like this place so much,” Thanatos acknowledges, looking around. “Achilles seems to be a very good instructor.”

“He is!” Zagreus beams. “He was my pledge master, you know—and I mean he ran us  _ hard,  _ but he also really looked out for us? He’s a great guy.”

Thanatos gives him a long look before slowly saying, “…yes. Well—I better go change.”

“Me too! Except—um—maybe I should go talk to Achilles first? About—frat stuff?” Zagreus scrambles for an excuse, trying his best to give Thanatos some space.

Thanatos frowns a bit again, but simply dips his head and leaves.

Hypnos scurries after, but not before glancing over at Zagreus, “Come over later! We haven’t played Super Smash Bros in forever!’

“Uh—sure okay!” Zagreus calls out, looking at Thanatos’ retreating back, “If—you’re fine with that, Than?”

Thanatos doesn’t turn around, but he does give a dismissive wave of his hand that usually means he’s fine with whatever.

(Right, so—

Give him space, but also go to his apartment?

Hypnos was giving him really conflicting advice here.

Or really—maybe Hypnos wasn’t thinking and just inviting him over because he really wanted to play Super Smash Bros.

Which normally would be fine—he does like playing Super Smash Bros against Hypnos, his Kirby is always a challenge to beat—but not if what Than really wanted was space to think—)

“Good job, kid!” Achilles said, slapping him on the back with a big grin. “I see that not only did you manage to thoroughly impress him during the workout, but you even scored a video game date for later.”

“I don’t know about that,” Zagreus says, scratching the back of his head, “Hypnos just said—or at least I think he said—maybe Than wants some space and patience from me?”

Achilles and Patroclus both stare at him, Achilles’ eyebrows rising up. “Kid—didn’t he move across the country for you?”

“Yeah, but—he thought I was failing English…” Zagreus mumbles.

“Still doesn’t sound like wanting space. Or platonic,” Patroclus comments.

“And him asking for your gym schedule so he could try to synch his own workout schedule to you didn’t feel all that platonic either,” Achilles adds.

Odysseus grunts as he finishes his reps on the rowing machine and stands up. “You know what you should do is probably get him drunk and then interrogate him that way.”

“ _ Or  _ he could just  _ tell  _ Thanatos his feelings like a normal person,” Patroclus cuts in, glaring at Odysseus.

Zagreus chews his lips worriedly. “Would that be too—pushy though? We just barely got to the point where we’re kind of friends again…”

“You should do things at your own pace, but my impression was that that guy was into you,” Achilles shrugs. “You don’t change up your workout schedule unless you’re seriously in love, bro.”

(Achilles has a point.

The only time Zagreus had ever changed up his own workout schedule had been back when he was still dating Meg, and he had wanted to accompany her to at least one of her Krav Maga classes per week.

Let alone Than, who had to be practically pried away with a crowbar to change any part of his schedule.)

“Then…I’ll go over to Than’s place and see how that goes!” Zagreus decides, clenching his fist.

“You should still bring a gift,” Odysseus points out with a smirk, “and I know exactly what you should ask your cousin for.”

\--

“Ambrosia?” Thanatos says, peering at the bottle in Zagreus’ hands. “Where did you get that from?”

“The frat, no worries,” Zagreus says breezily.

(It turned out that Dionysus had actually given the last of his stash to Theseus, so Zagreus had to win a push-up competition against him to get it, but he did it, even with Theseus recruiting Asterius to sit on Zagreus’ back, so there.)

The corner of Thanatos’ mouth quirks up, “Well—this is a fine present, that’s for sure. Hypnos will be so thrilled that you brought something so nice for him.”

“It’s a housewarming present, not a gift for Hypnos specifically,” Zagreus says immediately, “I haven’t been over before so—yeah.”

Thanatos blinks, and there appears to be a hint of red on his dark cheeks before he swings around and strides towards the kitchen, “Well—thank you.”

“So then, what’s my present for coming to visit?” Hypnos asks, looking at him from where he’s sitting on the dark leather couch.

“Not immediately kicking your ass at Super Smash Bros,” Zagreus replies with a grin, sitting down next to him.

“You wish,” Hypnos says good-naturedly, pushing a bowl of popcorn over at him before looking over his shoulder at Thanatos who was carrying over glasses along with the ambrosia. “Thanatos, you playing? Ooooh, and can I have some?”

“Just a little bit—it’s probably going to go straight to your head,” Thanatos says, pouring maybe a thimbleful into a glass for Hypnos before pouring generous glasses for Zagreus and himself.

“Thanks! And thanks, Zagreus, for bringing it!” Hypnos grins at both of them, downing the glass and starting up the game.

Hypnos lasts about three rounds before he falls asleep snoring on the couch, right after Thanatos’ Mewtwo had blasted all of them with its ultimate move.

“Wasted on him,” Thanatos clicks his tongue and sets aside the controller. “I better get him to the bed—otherwise his neck will get all screwed up, and he won’t stop complaining tomorrow.”

Zagreus helps Thanatos lift up Hypnos’ legs, “Are you taking the couch then?” he asks curiously, walking backwards into Thanatos’ bedroom.

It looks pretty much the way he expects, with a few black and white prints hung up on the wall, a bookshelf overflowing with alphabetized books, a worn wooden cabinet, a blue comforter arranged neatly on top of gray sheets on the queen-sized bed, and Mort sitting on the headboard up above. 

“Yeah, can’t do much else since Charon just dumped him on my doorstep without any warning,” Thanatos sighs, setting Hypnos down gently.

“At least you don’t have Charon bunking here too, trying to save money,” Zagreus says with a grin.

Thanatos shudders, “As long as he keeps Platinum status in all those major hotel chains, thankfully I won’t have to worry about that. Otherwise, I don’t know—I guess I could sleep on the floor?”

“If that happened, you could definitely stay with me,” Zagreus blurts out, then tries his best not to flush.

(That—doesn’t have to immediately be taken the way Zagreus is currently imagining, right?

But, maybe—

It’s a good way to sound Than out as well?)

Thanatos looks at him then frowns slightly, “…doesn’t your room only have one bed? I’d still end up on the floor in that case.”

“Than, what kind of host do you think I am? I’d definitely give you the bed,” Zagreus says, placing a hand on his chest.

Thanatos shakes his head, a small smile on his face. “You need your rest, and you never sleep well on the floor.”

“Well then—we could share? Like we used to when we were kids?” Zagreus suggests, his face really heating up now.

Thanatos’ expression doesn’t change, but neither do his golden eyes leave Zagreus’ face. “…that would be a tight fit, we’re not kids anymore, Zag,” he says quietly.

(Okay, that wasn’t a no.

And coming from Than—that could just very nearly count as flirting?

Maybe?)

“Yeah, we’re not,” Zagreus says, sidling carefully and slowly closer to Thanatos, “But like—that’s kind of good too, right?”

Thanatos doesn’t move away from him, his eyes scanning across Zagreus quickly. “Zag…what am I to you, exactly, as of late? Because—sometimes with you, I…”

(This is it!

This is the opening he needs!

Except—maybe take it a bit slow, just in case?

He didn’t want to spook Than, after all.)

“I care about you a lot, Than,” Zagreus says, rubbing the back of his head, “Though what you are to me…how am I even supposed to answer that?”

(Than is so many things.

Childhood best friend, homework taskmaster, long-suffering partner in crime, edgy goth shopping buddy, trusted confidant, and just lately—yearning crush.

It’s a lot to try and sum up.)

“Ugh, I don’t know,” Thanatos grimaces, looking away. “Sometimes I miss—not feeling anything. Can’t always trust what feelings say. I get to thinking, are we only friends, or…look, this is embarrassing.”

(Oh my  _ god. _

Than thinks the same way!

He has to seize this moment while it lasts—he doesn’t even have time to be distracted by the spots of color on Than’s cheeks.)

Zagreus quickly grabs Thanatos’ arm before he can pull away, “I also feel like that!” he blurts out. “I—I also sometimes—want more than friendship with you—I really like you, Than!”

“…You  _ like  _ me, Zagreus?” Thanatos stares at him with wide eyes, “I never thought—I don’t know why it sounds so strange, coming from you. Given everything that has happened as of late.”

“Because I moved away? I get it—I have really shitty timing, Than,” Zagreus admits, holding on tight. “I didn’t—I missed you  _ so much  _ out here, and—and when you turned up again—I was  _ so happy _ , even though you seemed to hate my guts, and—and I figured out that maybe—that maybe I’ve liked you for awhile now.”

“…I have a similar story,” Thanatos says in nearly a whisper, his head ducking down. “I—you were gone, and I was so  _ angry _ —and I couldn’t figure out  _ why  _ at first, but—but…I missed you. And—and I—I like being here with you.”

Zagreus beams at him, his heart beating a loud staccato in his ears as he slowly draws Thanatos out of the room (Hypnos sleeps deeply, but he still didn’t want to take the chance of him waking up for this). “Then—go on a date with me?” he asks before quickly adding, “No terrible mall dates like the ones I took Meg on, promise!”

There is a real smile gracing Thanatos’ face now. “I like hanging out at malls with you, but alright.”

(Zagreus is so happy right now he could burst.

But—hanging out at malls sounds so casual, he should reassure Than about how serious he is about all this, right?)

“I want you to know that um—this isn’t just some impulsive thing to me. I will wait for you as long as it takes,” Zagreus assures him, looking deep into his eyes, but also carefully angling himself a bit further away to try and give Thanatos some space.

Thanatos snorts, giving him a fond look before raising his head and jutting out his chin a bit. “…you really have no idea of what concepts to act upon and which to keep in check. What are you waiting for? I’m—I’m right here, aren’t I?”

(Oh okay.

He can take a hint.)

Zagreus surges forward, standing on his tiptoes as his hand cradles the back of Thanatos’ head, entangling itself in Thanatos’ pale hair, and he brings down Thanatos’ mouth against his.

Thanatos immediately takes hold of Zagreus’ hips, dragging him closer, and his mouth is eager and enthusiastic against his, his tongue carefully licking against the seam of his mouth as if asking for permission, and Zagreus gladly opens his mouth and allows him inside.

After that—well, it’s a bit of a blur of heat, fumbling, and long-banked desire, but by the time they separate finally, due to needing to get some air, they’re tangled together on the couch, panting, and Zagreus seems to have only managed to get half of Thanatos’ shirt off.

It should look dorky, but of course, Thanatos sitting there, his mouth red and slick, his golden eyes gleaming, his usually sleek pale hair now in tousled messy tangles, and his gray shirt rucked all the way up to his neck, with his dark, muscular torso and abs all on display all because of  _ Zagreus _ —

Zagreus doesn’t think he’s ever seen a hotter sight.

Thanatos runs a hand through his hair, then strips off his shirt in one fluid motion (okay, Zagreus lied before— _ this  _ is the hottest sight he’s ever seen in his life), and leans forward to cup Zagreus’ face with both his hands and start kissing him again. Zagreus’ shirt goes next, and his jeans have just started to get uncomfortably tight when a loud snore sounds from Thanatos’ bedroom, and Thanatos abruptly stills and draws away a little.

Zagreus chuckles as he snuggles into Thanatos’ side, “As much as I want to keep going—I guess we should wait until your brother isn’t here?”

“That would probably be for the best,” Thanatos admits with a sigh, his big hands slowly stroking Zagreus’ bare back. “I also need to go buy—things.”

“We can just raid the frat’s safe sex stash, it’s fine,” Zagreus grins at him.

Thanatos raises an eyebrow. “…your frat has a safe sex stash.”

“Nestor put it in place after the fiasco with Jason,” Zagreus shrugs, “Hector thought it was a good idea, so it’s part of the monthly budget. It’s part of the ‘Enthusiastic Consent Only’ section of the frat orientation too now.”

“…right. Okay,” Thanatos lets out a huff of laughter, his chest rumbling beneath Zagreus. “Then—take me on your not-mall date, and then after…?”

“It’s going to be so good, Than,” Zagreus promises him, twisting around so he can look him in the eye. “Will definitely make it unforgettable!”

“Mm, I think it would be unforgettable as long as it was with you,” Thanatos says softly, a genuine smile on his face as his hand cards through Zagreus’ messy black hair.

(If he didn’t think Than would run away, Zagreus would pull out his cellphone right now and demand Than repeat his words so he can record them and listen to them on repeat.

He’ll just have to make do with the memory—and making Than so happy he’ll say more soft and romantic stuff like this again.)

He can’t help but clamber up to kiss Thanatos again, murmuring against his mouth, “I’ll make it perfect—definitely better than us just rolling around on the couch.”

“I thought we were doing pretty well,” Thanatos argues, kissing the side of Zagreus’ neck.

Zagreus shivers and laughs as Thanatos continues to lave and nibble at his neck, “I mean—yeah— _ oh _ —but—but Than—I’m—I really am serious about you—so far gone—and— _ ah _ —you’re really—you deserve all the best, so—so I’m going to try.”

Thanatos draws back a bit, his eyes nearly glowing as he says with a smile, “…alright. As you like. Although you should know—for me, just getting to be in your affections—it’s already the best.”

Zagreus has to throw his arms around Thanatos’ neck and kiss him for that, and they only manage to not defile Thanatos’ couch by Zagreus managing to drag himself away to the other end of the couch and reminding Thanatos that he definitely did not want Hypnos waking up and getting an eyeful of the two of them.

Thanatos sighs, bending down to pick up his shirt, and putting it back on to Zagreus’ regret. “That’s true—he would never stop talking about it. And he’d probably use it as an excuse to delay writing his college application essays even more. Speaking of which—did you start on that English essay yet?”

“…no, but it’s not due until a week from now,” Zagreus argues, leaning back against the couch.

Thanatos gives him a quelling glance, crossing his arms. “I’m not letting you take me out on that date until that essay is done.”

“On it,” Zagreus says immediately, grabbing his shirt off the floor and then winking at him, “What else can I do for you, professor~”

Thanatos covers his face with his hand, his cheeks a little pink, “Don’t—ugh, really Zag?”

“You’re into it!” Zagreus crows before holding up both his hands as Thanatos scowls at him. “I’ll go do the essay, never you fear. And after Hypnos leaves, get ready for our date!”

“Looking forward to it,” Thanatos says quietly, his mouth quirking up. “Even if Hypnos dies of shock.”

It turns out though that Hypnos’ only response when Zagreus drops by to see them again, wearing his pin jacket with Thanatos’ butterfly pin front and center, and showing off his finished essay to Thanatos (that Thanatos immediately takes a red pen to—it shouldn’t be hot, but Zagreus has a lot of wires crossed when it comes to Than), is to smile at him and say, “Wow! Good job Zag—I thought it’d take you guys a lot longer!”

“Thanks, Hypnos,” Zagreus says wryly.

“And now I owe Meg a hundred dollars,” Hypnos continues blithely. “Should have known not to bet against her.”

Zagreus blinks, “What?”

“Byeeeee!” Hypnos says as he slings his bag over his shoulder and walks out to where Charon’s sleek black car is waiting.

“Did you know Meg and Hypnos were betting on us?” Zagreus asks Thanatos, peering over his shoulder at his marked up essay.

Thanatos snorts, capping his red pen. “That doesn’t surprise me. Meg has been saying I should go after you for years.”

“…huh,” Zagreus says, mulling the whole idea over.

(He always knew that Meg and Than had gotten along but he had never realized they gossiped about him. )

“This was an improvement,” Thanatos says, nodding at the essay that was bleeding red.

“Well, I did have a lot of incentive this time,” Zagreus grins, sitting up on the desk and leaning into Thanatos’ space. “You ready to go out?”

Thanatos smiles back at him and takes Zagreus’ hand, his own butterfly pin now pinned to the front lapel of his Nightmare Before Christmas hoodie. “Yes,” he says simply.

And so Zagreus takes him to the aquarium where they marvel at the kelp forests, watch the penguins getting fed, walk through watery blue halls with fish and sea life swimming all around them, and Zagreus coos over the cute antics of the sea otters while Thanatos stoically takes pictures.

And then after a meal at a fairly upscale Greek restaurant that was known around town for its dolmades, Zagreus takes Thanatos back to his freshly cleaned room where he had lit up a lot of nicely scented candles, slammed the door on his catcalling frat bros, and he finally gets his hands and mouth all over Thanatos.

When they’re done, Thanatos collapses sweaty and spent over Zagreus, while Zagreus luxuriates in a blissful haze, the ache between his legs and the strain in his muscles just making it all the sweeter.

Thanatos places a hand against Zagreus’ abs while kissing his ear, “…good?”

“The best,” Zagreus affirms, twisting his head around so he can kiss him firmly. “So good, so amazing—I’m pretty sure my brains are leaking out of my ears.”

“And  _ I  _ can’t believe I had to hear all that, you fiend!” Theseus’ voice complains from next door, a few thumps heard against the wall.

Zagreus glares at the wall and yells back, “Go get noise cancelling headphones! It’s what I do when you bring Asterius over!”

Thanatos stills at his side. “…is the sound insulation here that bad?”

“Between the walls? A little bit,” Zagreus admits. “Not as bad with headphones on though.”

“From now on, we’re doing it at my place,” Thanatos declares with a huff, kissing his shoulder. “We also wouldn’t have to worry about shared bathrooms in that case.”

“Yeeeeah,” Zagreus admits, then places his hand over Thanatos’ own. “Still—stay? And come down to breakfast with the frat? It’s tradition! And Hector makes really good pancakes.”

“…alright,” Thanatos says, wrapping his arms tighter around Zagreus.

And the next day, as Achilles and Patroclus congratulate Zagreus, and Dionysus talks good-naturedly with Thanatos, and the smell of Hector’s blueberry pancakes waft over in the sunshine-lit kitchen, Zagreus can’t imagine a better day.

**Author's Note:**

> How did you like Zagreus' frat? Did you enjoy the love confession? (Many lines taken liberally from the Thanatos romance in the game itself) Did you like Achilles and Patroclus being as supportive as they could? Please leave comments/kudos!
> 
> So originally, I wanted this piece to be shorter, with the love confession at the mall after the butterfly pin discovery, but Than was just not cooperating with me there. Also, a lot of the professor names refer to real people. Hypatia was a famous philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician from Alexandria, Egypt, Hesiod was an ancient Greek poet who wrote about Death and Sleep being siblings, and Radcliffe refers to Ann Radcliffe, author of The Mysteries of Udolpho and the pioneer of Gothic literature. 
> 
> Also, I was inspired to write an Asterius/Theseus prequel of sorts to this fic [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27702926)!
> 
> Notes on the frat: -Hector is the president and very happily engaged to Andromache (look, I want them to be super happy together). His suggestion to Zagreus for a horse-back riding date was a reference to his epithet as 'breaker of horses'. Where is his younger brother Paris, probably off at a dippy art school somewhere; I don't like Paris.  
> -Jason is on the verge of getting kicked out of the frat for everything that went down with Medea. (Yes, yes, I know in the original story, Medea is super evil because she killed her kids, but also she's a witch with a dragon carriage who sacrificed everything for Jason, and Jason was a douche, so this is the result). Nestor being the one to call him out is a reference to the fact that Nestor actually was an Argonaut and part of the quest for the Golden Fleece.  
> -Phoenix is an old friend of both Patroclus and Achilles, a reference to the fact that in the Iliad, he's Achilles' old retainer.  
> -The reference to Penelope being beer pong queen is completely copied from the Chiliad


End file.
